It was great to welcome the students back to school after the half-term break. Term 4 is another short term but it is sure to be a very busy one.

For our Year 11 students next week sees their second core mock week take place, with important exams in English, maths and science.  It will undoubtedly be a challenging week for the students. However, it will provide both the students and their teachers with valuable information on where they are in the learning journey and what they need to be doing in the last 2 months before the GCSE exams proper begin. 

Our KS3 students also have a busy week coming up as they will be completing their Order B assessments. These are the assessments all students complete in English, maths and science to ensure that appropriate progress is being made in these key subjects. The timetable for these assessments is as follows: Year 7 - Tuesday 27 February; Year 8 – Wednesday 28 February; and Year 9 -Thursday 29 February.  Full revision details are on Satchel One.

On Thursday next week the Options Evening for Year 9 students will take place. This in-person event will give parents and students the chance to talk to key staff to help finalise their options choices. Full details have been sent out to parents. If you do have any questions please contact Mr Connor.  

On the last day of last term, I had the pleasure of attending our new KS3 Drama group’s first production, Jack and the Beanstalk. It was a brilliant performance that was fully appreciated by the audience of family and friends. It is clear that we have some very talented performers who have been working really hard to hone their skills. I am very much looking forward to their next production which will take place later in the year.

Over half-term France 37 Year 11 students and 4 members of staff travelled to Paris to experience the sights and culture of France’s capital city as part of their GCSE French course. The students sampled some culinary treats (including snails!!) as well as visiting many of the world-famous landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower. It was an unforgettable experience for the students, who were a credit to our school during every aspect of the trip!

Fixtures this week have included:

• Year 7 Netball – the Year 7 netballers travelled to The Crypt for their latest fixture. It was a really competitive game with our girls scoring right at the end to secure a 7 – 5 victory. Player of the match was Maddison T for her shooting prowess!

• Year 8 Netball – the Year 8 netballers also travelled to the Crypt. In what was an outstanding performance, the girls won 15 – 8. Player of the match was Bianca A for another fabulous attacking performance.

• Year 9 Netball – in their first game of the week the Year 9 netballers were the third of our teams to travel to The Crypt on Monday. In what was another tight and competitive game, the girls were narrowly defeated, 13 - 12. Player of the match was Mia S. On Tuesday both our 9A and 9B teams travelled to Denmark Road. Two tough and competitive fixtures saw both defeated: the 9As losing 12 – 10 and the 9Bs 9 – 6. Players of the match were Molly P and Jess H.

• Under 14 Football - on Tuesday, we hosted Crypt in the U14 County Cup. Despite a screamer from Millie S, the girls lost 3 – 1. Player of the match was Lilly for a great defensive performance.

In other sporting news, it was an absolute pleasure to see ex-Severn Vale students Dylan Bhatti competing at the British Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham. Dylan, who runs for Gloucester AC, competed in the 60m. At just 17, he was the youngest competitor and faced the UK number 1 and current world number 3 in his heat. He just missed out on a place in the semi-final by 0.01 of a second!  It was an absolutely fantastic experience for him and suggests he has a bright future. We all wish him the best over the coming seasons.

As always, I include my weekly reminder about Free School Meals eligibility. If your financial circumstances have changed, your child may be eligible for Free School Meals. If you click on this link you will find guidance on the eligibility criteria and the application process. It's a quick process and we are notified of all FSM entitlements by Gloucestershire County Council each Monday. I would urge you to take a look if you think you may benefit from financial assistance.  

Kind regards,

Richard Johnson
Headteacher